


Birthrights

by Alexis_Rockford



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Babies, Canon Related, Childbirth, Gen, Good Odin (Marvel), Infanticide, Mother-Son Relationship, POV Loki (Marvel), Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 16:48:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17943518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexis_Rockford/pseuds/Alexis_Rockford
Summary: In the first hours of his life, Loki has already experienced the world's cruelties firsthand. Yet surely even an unwanted infant must have his birthrights...





	Birthrights

He was surrounded by cool, damp, darkness, but as it was all he had ever known, he didn’t mind it in the least. In fact, the very idea of ever possibly leaving this cocoon of safety made him fidget with discomfort. Yet some force beyond his ken had obviously decided that it was time for him to do just that.

The pressure from all sides and the muffled cries of anguish that assaulted him both strained to propel him into the unknown. But it was nice in here. Surely he could be permitted to stay a little while longer.  
  
Apparently not. No matter how his little fingers grasped, there was no remaining in his cozy haven now. He shivered as an unfamiliar atmosphere came into contact with the top of his small head. Before he knew what was happening, he was pushed even further out into the unknown. He opened his little mouth in protest and was shocked as a rush of air entered, forcing itself into his unused lungs. Oh, how it burned. A trickle of moisture gathered at the tips of his eyelashes and an ungodly noise followed. His ears stung with its volume. Several minutes elapsed before he realised that the sound was coming from him. Of course, that only made him cry harder.

“We’re almost there, milady!” coaxed a rough voice. “Keep pushing!”

 _No, don’t!_ he thought. _I like it in here._

But it was too late. Another violent shove and he was out, completely bared to the elements. He felt himself being tugged away from the comfort of the only home he had ever known. He flailed helplessly, willing himself back inside, but all in vain. He could sense movement around him, and instinctively, his eyelids fluttered open. That was a mistake. Even though the room was dim, it was still infinitely brighter than anything he had ever seen. He screeched in pain and quickly shut them again.

“May I see him?” said a soft voice. The voice with which he had become intimately acquainted over the past year. Instantly, he felt calmer. She would never let anything bad happen to him. As long as she was around, he would be safe.

The first voice, the low husky one emitted a tight growl. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

He felt the anxiety roll off his mother in waves, though it would be years before he could recognise the emotion as such. All he knew was that something was terribly wrong, and he began to whimper in sympathy. “Why can I not hold my son?” she asked coldly.

The silence that followed was crueler than any harsh words could possibly be. Finally, the reply came. “He is something not right.”

Another hush fell over them, its weight nearly unbearable. “Whatever can you mean?” she inquired.

A sigh, followed by, “He is too...smooth and so...tiny.”

“Give him here.” The command was given as though she were unused to being disobeyed.

He squirmed as he was carried over to a new set of arms. As soon as his tender skin touched hers, he felt secure again. “He’s perfect,” she whispered as she pressed her lips to his cool forehead. “Hello, my darling. My Loki.” He cooed in delight.  
  
Just then, a heavy set of footfalls disturbed the sanctity of the reunion. “Where is my child?” a harsh voice demanded.

The newborn startled at the interruption. He kicked his legs restlessly as the newcomer approached. His mother’s grip tightened around him in reassurance though he could feel her tremble.

“What is the meaning of this?” The roar filled the little one’s ears and soul with a dread his infant mind could not comprehend at present. “This is no Frost Giant. He is no son of mine!”

The baby began to wail anew, and his mother attempted to shush him, but it was useless. “He is sure to grow hale and hearty with proper care, Laufey,” the woman protested.

Laufey snorted. “Is that a promise, Farbauti? Another futile vow that you are certain to forswear?”

“What are you implying?” she returned, an edge of challenge in her tone.

“I am outright declaring him to be a bastard and a half-breed!” Laufey boomed. “I smell Asgardian blood in his pathetic veins.”

“No!” she cried. “He is yours, husband; I swear it!”

“Swear not, faithless witch! I will teach you to make a cuckold of me!”

The child was snatched from his mother by a pair of large rough hands and shoved back into the arms of the midwife. “Take him out and destroy him.”

Screams fairly tore through Farbauti’s throat. “No! Please! I’ll do anything you want. Just don’t hurt my child!”

“Then you admit that I am not the father?”

Farbauti swallowed, nearly choking on her tears. “No,” she whispered in utter defeat. “He is not yours.”

Clanging and clashing ensued accompanied by the fiercest of howls from all three members of the broken family. “Lying whore!” Laufey shouted as he lunged at his wife.

In the cacophony that followed, the midwife slowly began to creep from the room, hands grasping the baby firmly. “Hush now, little one,” she crooned as they retreated further and further from what had been the scene of sacred joy mere moments before but now bore the ugly stain of betrayal.  
  
She sneaked through the palace as quickly as she could without alerting the nearby guards, a now quiet Loki pressed close to her chest. There was not a moment to lose if she was going to do what needed to be done to save his life.

Infanticide was not an uncommon practice on Jotunheim. A race such as the Frost Giants that prided itself on its warriors-both male and female-had little use for any child that was small or weak. Exposure to the elements was the typical method of disposal, but sometimes, a midwife was tasked with dispatching the infant by a kinder means. This midwife was no exception. All of the years she had performed her duty without question. It was simply seen as part of the job whether one liked it or not. But something about this baby gave her pause, and not simply because he was Queen Farbauti’s son. Somehow, she knew this little boy had a part to play in the grand pageant of destiny, and far be it from her to mock the Fates.

An alternate custom of the more conscience-stricken Jotuns was to leave an unwanted child at the temple. If the gods willed it, someone would find the child and raise him as their own. If not, he would eventually die of starvation. But at least he would be safe and warm in the interim.

The midwife looked down at the baby nestled in her arms. Loki, his mother had called him. Unbidden tears streamed down her craggy cheeks. If she were not so terrified of discovery, she would keep the child herself. As it was, she knew her days of midwifery were over. As soon as he was secure, she would gather her few belongings and leave the capital. If she was careful enough, and the gods were on her side, she would escape the king’s wrath.

But what would happen to Loki? The child seemed to know he was in her thoughts, for his eyelashes fluttered and he gazed back at her with intense blue-green eyes. It was not for her to decide what the future had in store for the the little prince. All she could do was make sure he got his best chance for survival.

Incense poured from the sanctuary as she used her one free hand to open the temple door. Loki gave a little cough, blinking at her in confusion. She approached the altar and set him gently down on the floor beside it.

He waved his chubby little arms at her as if to say, _Pick me up again! Don’t leave me here!_ But she merely smiled and shook her head. “This is as far as I go, little one. The gods alone know whether we will ever meet again.” He immediately began to fuss, but she closed her ears to him, knowing if she didn’t leave now, she never would.

Suddenly, the sounds of distant battle drowned out his infant cries. The Asgardians must have made it to the capital. Knowing that this would probably be her last chance to escape unseen, she made her swift exit out the back door.

By this point, Loki’s tears were a veritable stream running down his pudgy face. He had only become a citizen of the Nine Realms an hour ago, yet he was already a victim of its treachery. There was nothing he could do about it but lie there helpless on his back, sobbing as though his poor little heart would break.

Presently, another set of footsteps approached. “This must be he!” came an excited voice. “The one the midwife told us about. Laufey’s unwanted son”

Loki hiccuped through his tears as a pair of strong arms lifted him once more. He looked into a new face. The face of the one he would grow to call Father.

 _Please,_ he pleaded with his liquid eyes. _I’m all alone. Take me home with you!_

“You are coming home with me,” the man announced as though he could read the child’s thoughts. “You shall be my son.”

_Loki. My name is Loki._

The older man blinked his good eye in startled surprise. The smallest hint of a smile coaxed at his stern mouth. “And your name shall be Loki.”

**Author's Note:**

> This story may not be strictly canon-compliant, but the way I see it, it _could've_ happened this way. Odin claims that he found Laufey's son in the temple on Jotunheim. However, it is within the realm of possibility that Odin merely _assumed _that Laufey is the one who put him there. I am aware that canonically, Loki is Laufey's biological son. But it always seemed odd to me that he was so small, and that he ended up fitting in at all with the Asgardians. In my headcanon, he is the son of Farbauti and Mimir Burison, Odin's uncle, which would make him biologically related to Thor. You can either take that or leave it. Or perhaps Farbauti lied about the child not being Laufey's in her desperate attempt to save his life. I think that this version of events fits well in the canon, but to avoid upsetting those who firmly believe that Loki is 100% Frost Giant, I have tagged this fic as "Canon Related" instead. Thanks for reading!__


End file.
